Creative Ways to Save for Travel

It's a great time to start planning a trip! In this guest post by Hellen from Digital Nomads Around the World, she outlines some well-known ways to save for travel but they come with a creative twist!

Most people really want to travel, but many can't afford to take luxurious trips. Some dream about exotic vacations like staying in an overwater bungalow in Bora Bora or taking an Alaskan cruise, but they just can't afford to make it happen. But here's the thing, if a person made a few changes over the course of the year that dream trip could become a reality.

The inability to afford travel comes down to two things, not enough income and/or too many expenses. If a person does nothing to change either of these things, their dream trip will remain just a dream. But, you know the saying - where there's a will, there's a way!

Maybe your dream trip could happen this year! With some careful planning and a little creativity, you can earn and save enough to get to where you want to go. Listed below are some ideas on creative ways to save for traveling:

Apply for a Credit Card that Offers Travel Rewards

You obviously need to have a good credit rating in order to apply for a credit card that offers rewards for traveling, but if your credit is poor, this is the time to start making some changes. One way to do that is applying for cards that specifically help you improve your credit rating.

As long as you pay your bills on time, your credit rating will improve and eventually you will be eligible for a credit card that offers rewards like cash back and points for travel. You can even pay reoccurring bills like your utilities with the card so you can earn more points! Just make sure you don’t carry balances and pay your bills on time!

Get a Side Job

Work your full-time job, then get a side job and bank 100% of what you earn from your part-time gig! You can look for part-time jobs on sites like Indeed.com, or even Craigslist.com (but be careful to not fall for scams). Look for a job that offers discounts on things you need, or one that offers discounts on the gear you want for your trip! Or even better, learn a new skill, and sell your services on freelance sites such as Fiverr. You'll earn enough money to pay for that trip but know it will take a lot of patience, and discipline to save everything you make from that side job.

Open Up a Separate Savings Account Just for Traveling

Open up a separate savings account through your bank or credit union to use exclusively for your trip. Budget your money and put a certain percentage of your monthly earnings directly into that account. Even better set up an automatic transfer of a set amount at regular intervals monthly. This is easy to do, and the money, even as little as $30 a week really adds up! Think about it, that's about $4 a day- over the course of 6 months that adds up to $770! It will take time to build up enough money for your trip. But, if you start now, your dream trip could be bought and paid for a lot sooner than you think.

Book your Trip During Off Season

Your dream vacation destination can get a lot cheaper during the offseason! For instance, if you don’t mind the heat, you can book a trip to places like Cancun or Jamaica during their summer for half the cost.

If you enjoy skiing, you can book a trip to an amazing place like Australia during the summer in the northern hemisphere. This is during Australia's winter. Enjoy a ski holiday in Australia in July, booking a trip to Thredbo, Australia's premier alpine destination. Doing so will make an epic ski vacation a lot more affordable!

Make Some Sacrifices

A quick way to make money to travel is selling stuff that you don’t need or want any more. Websites like Kijiji, Craiglist, and LetGo make is easy to sell your unwanted items.

Another easy way to grow your travel fund quickly is to give up certain luxuries like eating out or buying that grande latte at Starbucks. Bring coffee from home and limit eating out. Many people use this tactic as a way to save for travel. This doesn't mean you need to go on a diet of Kraft Dinner and Ramen Noodles to save for that trip, but cutting out $5 for fancy coffee and packing a lunch to take to work could save you as much as $15 a day. That could add up to over $400 saved in one month!

Look for New and Different Discounts

Be on the lookout for sales and discounts because they're offered regularly by many travel companies. There are dozens of sites you can visit that offer amazingly cheap deals! Check out this article 23 Best Sites to go on to Find the Best Travel Deals. To take saving one step further, look for discounts on everything you buy; cut coupons, buy in bulk, choose no name products over brand-name ones. Saving as little as $10 every time you grocery shop could add up fast!

Interested in Visiting the Last Continent? You Can Go for Free!

Many people are interested in seeing Antarctica and the amount of people visiting is increasing each year. For most, the dream of visiting Antarctica seems impossible because it is one of the most expensive vacation destinations.

Believe it or not, there is a way to go for free! But you have to be mentally, and physically fit enough to handle the visit. The way you can visit free is to look for work there. You can be a cook, a hairdresser, or a plumber, these services are needed in Antarctica. Again, only those who are fit in every aspect to handle working there will be accepted.

The bottom line is, a lot of people who want to travel to exotic places end up not going due to the cost. But there are easy to implement strategies you can use to turn your travel dreams into reality. Doing all the things outlined in this post to earn and save extra money will help you get to the places you dream of visiting.

About Tracey

Hello. I am glad you're here! I'm Tracey, a freelance writer who sold everything to travel the world with my Husband and our young Son. We live with less, believing travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer. I love to write and share our experiences to inspire others to travel more and live the life they dream.

Totally agree! Sometimes you have to make travel a priority and make cut backs in other areas to make it work. We don’t spend a lot of money on stuff anymore. We saved £100 a month on our food shop by just planning a little better! Crazy how much it adds up.

Great suggestions. I currently have an account just for travel savings and that definitely helps and also having a target amount of money to deposit in it each month. The credit card suggestions is also great and something I need to look into. Thanks for sharing!

Primary Sidebar

About Us

Hi! We're Rob, Tracey and Makai, a Canadian family who has been traveling nomadically since April 2014. Our passion is sharing what we learn about the places we visit and the challenges and rewards of living an unconventional family life. Join us on our journey! We hope our stories inspire you to travel more and strive to live life on your terms.